Foreign Minister Winston Peters today attacked Fiji coup leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama for not telling the truth about the situation in the country.
Mr Peters said that in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Cdre Bainimarama gave a selective and misleading picture about
the situation in Fiji.
"For people who do not know the facts, Cdre's Bainimarama's speech might have left the impression that Fiji was on the road back to democracy.
"The actual situation is, however, quite the contrary.
"He avoided referring to all aspects of the current situation, such as the recent re-imposition of emergency regulations, that do not fit the story he was trying to sell.
"The assurances he gave on Fiji's commitment to respect human rights, good governance, judicial independence, and the rule of law are hollow when weighed against the actual behaviour of his regime."
Mr Peters said it was "especially disappointing" that the passing references made to holding elections did not include the time-frame agreed with the Pacific Islands Forum and with the EU, which was to be by the end of March 2009.
"Taken together with other elements in the speech...the interim government's real commitment to early elections remains highly questionable.
"It is hard to avoid the conclusion that his intention is to delay the election until he is confident he can gerrymander the outcome," Mr Peters said.
- NZPA
